I completely agree with Fried because I know of a lot of kids in my high school who where all about getting the A. It was not about learning at all for them. For them it was about how they could get around the idea of learning so they could succeed. It was not about expanding their minds, the idea of doing well in school is based around a letter grade and for almost all students, they would do almost anything to get there, including cheat. School is not about getting the A but we teach children, we give them the idea that in order to be smart you must always get an A. I took many Advanced Placement courses where even the "intelligent" kids were not there for the sake of learning. I have heard a remark many times in class from a few kids whose words were along the lines of, "I don't care, I just want to get an A in this class."
It is sad that teachers have to try to get around this idea and make the kids want to learn, not for the sake of the letter grade. They also have to understand and recognize that everyone learns differently. They must meet everyone's needs and standardized testing that supposedly tests how well our students are doing, also apparently can tell us if our teachers can teach, which is probably the most ludicrous things I have ever heard. Teachers have to overcome this, but also that everyone has different backgrounds and not everyone has equal opportunities.
It is sad that teachers have to try to get around this idea and make the kids want to learn, not for the sake of the letter grade. They also have to understand and recognize that everyone learns differently. They must meet everyone's needs and standardized testing that supposedly tests how well our students are doing, also apparently can tell us if our teachers can teach, which is probably the most ludicrous things I have ever heard. Teachers have to overcome this, but also that everyone has different backgrounds and not everyone has equal opportunities.